Expansion wall fastener unit



Jan. 14, 1958 J. M. MARGULIS EXPANSION WALL FASTENER UNiT Filed July 9, 1956 a n H, v. A L l. u a 5 N I I N Y F .l. Q

INVENTOR.

JOSEPH M. MAAGUL/S BY Y GAIL H. $4,4 1

; The present invention relates to an expansion wall fastener unit, and more particularly to an expansion wall fastener umt m which a plurality of fastener sizes may ,be selectively withdrawn from a single unit.

The mounting of relatively heavy objects, such as paintmgs, mirrors, towel bars, curtain rods, drapery fixtures, etc. in various building materials, such as fiberboard, wallboard, sheetrock, plaster, and plasterboard cannot be adequately accomplished by means of a screw, since experience has shown that such materials will not adequately support a screw. The use of expansion wall fasteners in which the screw is inserted within the fastener with the components of the fastener being spread apart has proved successful and is widely practiced.

A variety of screw sizes are necessary in order to hold objects of different size and weight. concomitantly, a variety of expansion wall fasteners must be made available for this purpose. The packaging and sale of expansion wall fasteners in a variety of sizes is diflicult and the result has been that the average home owner or housewife using expansion wall fasteners has been forced to purchase an over-supply of such fasteners, by making purchases of the standard minimal amounts of the wall fasteners in each of the needed sizes. Alternatively, the wrong size expansion wall fastener has been used in many cases because of the unavailability of the right size wall fastener at the time of use.

In addition to the foregoing problems, prior expansion wall fasteners have frequently been rendered useless by the unavailability of the proper size screw at the time of use.

The present invention has as an object the provision of a unit making readily available a plurality of expansion wall fasteners which may be selectively withdrawn therefrom at the time of use.

This invention has as a further object the provision of an expansion wall fastener unit containing a plurality of sizes of expansion wall fasteners and containing mating screws in which the screws and expansion wall fastener unit are operatively retained together and are simultaneously available for use.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention there is shown in the drawings forms which are presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like parts:

Figure l is a plan view of one embodiment of the expansion wall fastener unit of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view showing a single expansion wall fastener removed from the unit.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a package unit in accordance with the present invention comprising another embodiment of the expansion wall fastener unit of the present invention and mating screws.

Referring to the drawings, and initially to Figures 1 and 2, the expansion wall fastener unit of the present 2,819,792 PatentedJan. 14, 1958 invention is designated by the numeral 10. Unit 10 is formed from plastic as a single unitary piece, the forming of the unit 10 being accomplished preferably through the use -of suitable extrusion molds. A wide variety of suitable plastics may be used for the purpose as will be readily apparent to anyone skilled in this art. Preferably, the plastic may be colored, such as gray or copper color, in order to simulate metal.

Unit 10 includes an anchor bar 12 which is a flat generally rectangular element. The upper and lower surface of anchor bar 12 provide space upon which writings 14, such as advertising or other information may be inserted.

One side of anchor bar 12 is provided with a plurality of evenly spaced relatively thin stems designated by 16. Six such stems 16 are shown in the illustrated embodiment, but a larger or smaller number of such stems may be used. Relatively small and thin expansion wall fasteners 18 having oppositely spaced longitudinal slots 19, a corrugated outer surface 21 and longitudinal ribs 23 proximate its mouth, are carried on each of stems 16, the wall fasteners 18 being constructed and arranged to receive a relatively small size screw.

A plurality of relatively thick stems 20 are evenly spaced on the side of anchor bar 12 opposite from the relatively thin stems 16. I have found that by positioning each of the stems 20 relative to each of the stems 16 such that the two lie in the same general plane, as in the illustrated embodiment shown in Figure 1, an attractive planar unit of great utility is obtained.

Relatively large wall fastener elements 22 of similar construction to wall fastener elements 13 are carried on stems 20, the wall fastener elements 22 being constructed and arranged to receive a relatively large screw. The.

relatively large wall fastener elements 22 are each of the same size, but as heretofore indicated, and as shown in the embodiment set forth in Figure 3 such elements 22 may be in graduated sizes.

In use the appropriate size expansion wall fastener element, namely expansion wall fastener element 18 or 22 is removed from unit 10 by breaking such element free from its stem. This may be readily accomplished by grasping the anchor bar 12 in the fingers of one hand and removing the desired wall fastener element with the fingers of the other hand. The remaining wall fastener elements are retained on anchor bar 12 until need is had for them whereby classification of the wall fastener elements in their desired sizes is at all times secured.

In the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 3, the package unit designated by the numeral 24 includes the glassine envelope 26 made of transparent material such as cellophane or other transparent plastic, a Wall fastener unit 28, and mating screws 30 for the wall fastener elements of the unit. The wall fastener unit 28 differs from wall fastener unit 10 in that the wall fastener elements 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 and 42 are of separate sizes, and include pairs of such elements of gradually increasing sizes. Thus, at one side of the anchor bar 44 of wall fastener unit 28 there are provided the smallest wall fastener elements 32, the next larger wall fastener elements 34, and the next larger wall fastener elements 36. On the other side of anchor bar 44 there are pro vided the next larger size wall fastener elements 38, the next larger size wall fastener elements 40, and the largest size wall fastener elements 42. The stems 46 for the wall fastener elements may each be of the same size, or may be of graduated thicknesses.

The screws 30 which are of graduated size to corre' spond with the size of the wall fastener elements are positioned within their appropriate mating wall fastener elements and the wall fastener unit 28 and screws 30 are disposed within glassine envelope 26. If desired, an

is sealed, with the glassine envelope being mounted upon a card as by the use of staples or the like.

The wall fastener unit 28 permits a larger selection of appropriate wall fastener elements to be made, the

wall fastener element of the proper size being withdrawn from the unit 28 by breaking it off at its stem 46 in the identical manner as has heretofore been explained for the unit 10.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claim, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

I claim:

A package unit comprising a transparent sealed envelope, an expansion wall fastener unit disposed within said envelope, said expansion wall fastener unit comprising a single piece of plastic formed into a central anchor bar, a plurality of expansion wall fastener elements spaced along one side of said anchor bar and joined at one end to said anchor bar by relatively thin stems which may be readily broken, a plurality of expansion wall fastener elements spaced along another side of said anchor bar and joined to said anchor bar by relatively thin stems which may be readily broken, said expansion wall fastener elements including a plurality of sizes of such elements, and mating screws for said expansion wall fastener elements disposed Within said envelope, said mating screws being individually positioned within mating expanson wall fastener elements of the expansion wall fastener unit, with the heads of said screws being adjacent the sides of said envelope.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,150,080 Rawlings Mar. 7, 1939 2,238,702 McIntosh Apr. 15, 1941 2,560,414 Cheney July 10, 1951 2,566,667 Krihwan Sept. 4, 1951 2,743,011 Woofter Apr. 24, 1956 

